We Ourselves
by Gomes
Summary: [HouseCuddy] Tears burned her eyes but misplaced strength refused to allow them leniency. minute HouseWilson andor WilsonCuddy undertones, depending on how you read it


Title: We Ourselves  
Author: Gomey  
Rating: G  
Spoilers: "Fools For Love"  
Pairing: House/Cuddy (slight undertones of House/Wilson and-or Wilson/Cuddy)  
Disclaimer: All known characters and premises belong to their respective owners. So there.  
Summary: Tears burned her eyes but misplaced strength refused to allow them leniency.  
Notes: One shot _impersonal_ addition to the episode.

* * *

In a small bathroom sat a woman, body heat warming up the cold tiles beneath her feet; their iced chill long forgotten as fingers gently stroked the pregnancy test tube which bore results that made her heart ache. She sighed, glancing away from the negative results, as if averting her eyes would alter the verdict.

Tears burned her eyes but misplaced strength refused to allow them leniency. She swallowed a sob and tossed her desire in the trash, fighting hard to control her emotions; she wouldn't let him see her cry.

She glanced out, staring into her room as her mind played tricks on her unsuspecting ears. She could almost hear him enter, picture his body leaning against the door frame as he caught his breath. She could feel the uneven vibrations on her wooden floor - an odd rhythm but one that brought its own particular type of comfort. She could feel his presence right outside her bathroom door, and she pushed herself up with haste, allowing a few steps to glide her to his body.

She turned the corner and stopped abruptly, greeted only by the sound of her Zen fountain that lay on her bedside table. Cautious steps guided her to the front door where her coat hung alone, almost as if it was looking down at her shoes, equally drenched in solitude.

Picking up the phone, her fingers traced over the familiar numbers - digits that seemed to be present ever more in her life

* * *

Across town stood a man in an empty cell, cane dangling from the crook of his arm. One hand held on to the chilled bars that separated him from a larger room that held his new antagonist.

Looks were exchanged where pride battled with dislike which then fought with disliked pride and prideful dislike. Each had experienced their own sense of humiliation brought on by the other and each silently transmitted cruel intentions to the other until the detainee limped to the stone-cold bed and eased himself on to the worn-out spring coils that offered submission to his weight.

A quarter twirled atop his knuckles before disappearing into his hand, only to reappear in the opposite palm. He glanced at the payphone and then back at the coin, deliberating under the watchful eye of his newly proclaimed foe

* * *

Not too far away lay a man, fighting off shivers under the cool sheets of a nameless yet high-end hotel. Eyes fixed on the ceiling, he forced his mind to imagine a body next to him, one that wasn't afraid to offer heat to beat the chill brought forth by the Wintering season. The image was clear but his emotional reality forced his mind's eye to alter the picture to a more realistic subject; who he wanted and who was actually available were two different consequences to ponder.

Lost and with no place to go, a temporary lodgement was currently being called home - a symbolic term which held no meaning to him anymore.

He glanced at the phone, sitting idly on the bedside table that rested near his side of the bed. Picking up the phone, he paused before swallowing hard and proceeding to dial, to take a step into getting what he wanted

* * *

She was just about to dial when the phone rang in her hands. Staring at the caller ID, her brow furrowed as the sequence struck no familiarity to her. A quick swipe dried any unshed tears that lingered, lining her eyes as she cleared her throat.

* * *

He apologized, knowing that his presence was needed and how his promise had the intent to be kept. His mouth had once again invited trouble, and while he didn't dwell so much on the consequences that clouded him, he did regret his actions and the reactions that prevented him from being where he was desired.

He hung up, knowing that he would be released soon. As he sat back, he realized that he needed them to need him

* * *

He hung up the phone and glanced at the clock, mentally calculating the hours before the hotel would give him a wake-up call. He sighed, still wishing his wish of a person to feel

* * *

She hung up, smiling sadly as a tear made its escape, rolling down her cheek before parting at her chin.

She thought back to the pregnancy test, realizing that the loss she felt inside would not only be felt in her heart, but in his as well.

She stepped out into the cold night, her hand in her pocket, gently fingering her wallet which bore the needed amount for one needy man.

finis


End file.
